Hope1234

So I went 384 days without a beer. Not sure if fully recovered from paws after 13 months but felt pretty good but recently after stressful call I had 3 beers.

I’ve tried to find information on effects on cns/brain chemistry. This whole back to zero doesn’t quite add up after brain neurology has definetly improved after 13 months.

most of the threads on this subject quickly go down the “once you drink it’s all downhill”. Don’t have any inclination to drink after those 3 beers…wasn’t really that great so question is from your brains standpoint, does 3 beers really undo all your healthy brain changes over 13 months?

will I go through same withdrawal symptoms at 30/60/90 days as I did when I started 384 days ago?

SoberLeigh

Really glad that you posted, Hope.

I don’t believe that you will have the same withdrawal symptoms as when you previously stopped sustained/prolonged drinking. Your alcoholic brain has a ‘memory’ though and alcoholic patterns can very easily be revived. I strongly suggest that you make those three beers your absolute last and get back to total sobriety. Don’t stir the beast any further; he is strong.

Stay close.

SoberLeigh

Here’s a great thread on your topic (especially the posts by EndGameNYC.



https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums...cess-paws.html (Why one drink derails the healing process? PAWS)

Hope1234

Thank you Leigh…you gave me some positive hope. Priceless

fishkiller

I agree with soberleigh. I don't think 3 beers will cause withdrawal but I would be very weary of cravings and the AV.

13 Months is awesome! Keep in going

Anna

I hope that you can get back on track quickly and without withdrawal symptoms. I'm glad you posted.

VikingGF

I think the most important thing here is to shore up your plan to not drink, and just deal with what comes. Since everyone is so different, it’s hard to say what reactions you will have to the chemical happenings, it could be very little. The biggest concern would be any desire to drink going forward, as that would be your undoing if you began to think you could maintain any control once you drink. The post SoberLeigh added is so on target, I don’t have much more to say, but you have my support and congrats for coming here so quickly, Hope. 13 months is a great accomplishment, you don’t lose what you’ve learned.

Hodd

Hi Hope 🙂 It’s great that you posted, really brave. It’s not great you drank to be honest, but thanks be to whoever that it was “only” three.

I posted about this after reading a post on another forum. That posters was almost identical to you. What happened to them was they spent the next week or two craving, but luckily they didn’t succumb. That sounds scary to me, so please please please be wary over these coming days. What’s done is done, but for whatever reason, you’ve drunk. It’s not OK to do so again (which is what your AV might tell you)

As a secondary issue to sort later, what caused you to drink?

Take it easy, Hope. Huge respect to you for posting, and fingers crossed this is a blip 🙂

Steely

You won't go back to the beginning again after 3 one off beers, Hope. The same would not be true if you continued to drink tho. It would just add further to the PAWS. And to everything.

All of the healing that occurred during your magnificent 384 days are not wasted, Hope. Get back to the healing, which means in essence, that you never drink again.

And I'm not going to either.

Hope1234

Thanks everyone for words of encouragement…great support.

i really didn’t get cravings after a couple months. What set me off was work related call where i went into worse case scenario panic attack….

i think in some ways it served as a good reminder that it really wasn’t that enjoyable. Really deepened my commitment. Have a bit of the “fast mind” thing going this morning and understand the brain chemistry part even more.

not going to dwell on it and still stay at 385 and counting with an asterisk ….

thanks again guys….

sugarbear1

We have to start over since the nature of alcoholism is to lie to ones' self......

There's a post from 2015 on the Alcoholism Forum about how the first drink derails our recovery process

Steely

Maybe one day Hope will remove the asterisk? When he's accrued more time. Feels more secure in his sobriety?

I don't mind he has an asterisk. It has him remember. I don't think that's a lie.

But then again, if you've got 6 million asterisks it'd be a bit of a worry.

Dee74

Do you think you’re less likely to reach for a beer next time you get stressed Hope?

D

Zencat

Hi

Stress, work related or other daily stress is treatable. There is medical, therapeutic, practices at home and such to help reduce stress.
Meditation helps me unload stress related moods.

silentrun

It could have been PAWS related that contributed to you using. I had PAWS episodes like clock work and I had one at a year but it was mild. I did have three drinks when I was 90 in because I thought I had it beat and stopped posting here. It did seem like it threw me off by a month. Then important thing is that you are handling it. After I used I promised myself I would come on here and post I had full intent on drinking. That promise probably saved me a full on relapse a couple months later.

DeplorableDog

Well Hope, I guess it depends on what your ultimate goal is. Is your goal to have 3 beers once every 384 days? In that case 385 with an asterisk is good enough. But, if your goal is to quit drinking completely.........

DeplorableDog

Maybe I can go back and count my days back to April 20th and just add on a few asterisks?🤔

Hope1234

difference is there is no “s” at the end of asterisk in my thread; so not quite the same thing…be well

Hope1234

I’ve been much more stressed in past situations…with no cravings.

Hope1234

I felt completely different at 400 than I did at 90. 90 was still touch and go….